The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1887-05-28
The Last Mares Nest.
N. q. States.


The States was amazed at the character and
magnitude of the Rutland Grab,' as it was
originally outlined by the Telegraph AMI dis
cussed hy many ut our Reform cOntempora-
rips, ever prompt IN seize, without hesitation
or investigation, upon any fumor however
preposterous, that is calculated to defame the
present Democratic State administration and
render il odons in the eyes OF the people. The
discovery of our Ouachita friend appeared to
as to require investigation before we accepted
it in its fullness. 1t seemed to MS impossible
that 40 gigantic IL frand had been perpetrated
upon the School funds, and before comment
ing upon it we took the trouble to ascertain,
as far as it. was in our pGayer to Il" SO, the ex-
act nature and magnitude OF the contracts
made by the parish school boards With MI
Rutland for the collection OF the interest due
on the sales OF the sixteenth sections. We
gave the result of our inquiries in an extond
ed article last week which has moved the
Ouachita Telegraph to say, that 1.-The States
is constrain ined to uphold the present admins
tration whenever a job is unearthed
upon no other ground than that this is q Dem
ocratic administration and the hands OF
Democratic administration should be upheld
whether right or wrong" We might very
we'll retaliate by saying that the Telegraph
and the so-called Reform newspapers are con-
strained to assault the present admiuistra-
iion, and stick to every defamatory charge
against it, true or false, on no other ground
than that they are hostile 10 its head and are
solicitous to advance some fayorite chief or
partisan to that position. But we have con
tempt for that style Of augmentation which
can conceive of no motives actuating men in
their actions and contentious save those ut
personal and selfish character.
The States, however, let us say to onr Qua
shita friend. does feel constrained, as Dem
ocratic paper, to defend Democratic admin
istration, on any and all occasions, no matter
who may constitute its personnel, against the
liHsn tfa nj
tion. US well as against the more injurious,
half made up charges that the spirit OF person
alism and faction in our own party so readily
spawns upon the slightest proyocation.
The States review of the Rntand contracts
showed conclusively that the matter had been
grossly exaggerated, if there was any job in
Il at all; it showed that most of the data ne
cessary TO the just distribution of the interest
of the capitalized debt of the State due the
townships had disappeared with the records
OF the Auditors office, stolen during Pack
ards brief possession Of the Stateh0use in 1877
that long corrupt mismana agement' the efiihl
nal disposal by the Radicals of the bonds re-
presenting the original debt, aud the utter
general confusion into which these accounts
had fallen rendered it impossible for the Au-
ditor or auy other head of all executive de
partment to bring order out of the chaos. The
facts shi wed. TO any reasonable mlud, that
the work could only I've accomplished through
long. tedious and intricate labor 10y an expert
or persun who had made, ur would make, u
special study of tile subject. Ii was also
shown that Mr. Rutland had been engagod
for ten years in this work, that his rewards
had been less than omc-tenth the enormous
sum alleged, aud that no lesser man than Col.
H. r. Lott, of West Carroll, than whom there
is no purer or more dsinterested ulan Ill the
State, and no one better acquainted with tins
eery subject, had recommended the school
board oi his own parish 10 pursue just such
tl,,k nd hv fhn tnr ri g.
dent oil Public Education to the other boards
To secure /. inst and equitable annual dlstribn
tiuu OF this interest fund.
All this the Telegraph utterly ignores aud
stubboruly insists, that an impossible labor, ol
one, if not impossible, that would occupy the
whole time of the State Official alleged to bs
responsible, to the utter neglect of all othel
puilic duties, shonld have been performed by
that official
The liking of The legitimate claims OF th'
townships, nuder the circumstances mention
ed; was and is, plainly the duty OF the parisl
school boassls; and we think that the Super
intend.nt of Public Education did exactl,
right i'll advising, those OF them who fonna !
impracticable to perform this duty, to cOnhd
! the work TO the hands of Mr.. Rutland or som
, one else who had made speciality of the sui
ieet The settlement of these claims will b
/. OF immense benefit to the schools as the inns
: tricable confusion into which the account
r have Sv LuIU T6tffaiucu uOtiO SACut lsyJHi
| and wrong. On his simple rec0mmendatln
, to the parish boards to pursue this conrse, MI
). Easton can go before the people. All tbi
: blatant ent cry, when the subject is understood
. wilt amount to nothing. Whether the fee I
o per cent. on the amounts recovered is exorh
taBt compensation or not is another question
That depends entirely upon the magnitut
: and difficulty of the labor required and the
, appear to have been very considerable Bll
4 be that as it may the parish boards, and til
= parish boards alone, are clearly Responsible
: the people of their respective parishes Tor all
y. imprevident or corrupt contracts they ms
" have made with Mr.. Rutland. The assun
. ton OF sune of our contemporaries that u
;. parish boards are exonerated from all respo
sibihty because the State Superintendent a
:, yisad he contracts, is simply silly. The Sta
!, Supefint endent does not own the paris
boards he is not their boss he has no earl
IL power to compel them to any snch eonr
e ~ This. His circular was simply advisory al
II any or every parish board had perfect rig
D. to decline the advice or accept it, and the pa
d ish boards, und the parish boards alone, q
ID responsible for any action they may ma
g.! take,; in this business under that advice or
Is despite of it.
10 In this connection We venture to call the
u tantiou of our Ouachita friend TO tho fact til
. the Baton Rouge Truth, which is a Reform
y, from Holyman's Gulcb, and goes around VI
q a tosnahawk and scalping knife hunting
~ = Administration Democrats, mas, alter uue
oniry, felt, in all honor, compelled to take
yery much modified view of the Rutia
IN Grab and te go so far as to actually conce
I'd that, be the character of the contract VIII
I'd eyer'it may, Auditor Steele at least had no
ir sponsiblity for it. Now, brother of Onachi
at whenever one of Gods anointed weakens
at tbe Grab how can you expect such Q m
ILL erable sinner as the States to accept 1T
in -, -,
in tAnd the States might have added had
ty heen aware of the fact, that the Natchisoci
de Review, another reformer from the oal'
II. Reosf. who goes around similarly equlpl
rt- and ON q similar mission, has also gwen ,
preston to "very much modified views
,5 his subject, over which some unscruPnis!
,,4 1 noIitieiaus are attempting to make PoItl
nv canital by hoodwinking the peope.--EDlF'
en- CoURIERl
O.
ill uD,.ass a ASsncfatfOn
ry hsOsaAsh -
y The faiIowi,g is the programme OF tne
~ dresses. essays, etc, to be delivered pei
~ ~ .h.. meeting of the Louisiana Press ASSOC
le- !er s;o,,. "a. Lake Charles, June IA, 1881
It'll Address OF Meleome-Hon William hel
,toror af r AXE Charles.